Closing summary
Joe Biden took his first step to securing his party’s presidential nomination by winning South Carolina’s Democratic primary in a landslide. His two main challengers, author Marianne Williamson and Minnesota congressman Dean Phillips, appear to have scrounged out single-digit finishes, though the votes are still being counted. The president cheered his victory in a state that was key to his winning the nomination in 2020, while attacking Donald Trump, the frontrunner for the Republican nomination.
Here’s what we learned tonight:
The president reportedly turned down an interview with CBS News that would have been broadcast before the Super Bowl next weekend.
James Clyburn, an influential and long-serving congressman, whipped up supporters at the South Carolina Democratic party’s watch party.
“Let’s win it all,” the president said, after his victory in South Carolina.
Updated
Joe Biden has reportedly turned down an invitation from CBS News for an interview that would be broadcast before the Super Bowl next weekend, passing up an opportunity to appear before Americans during one of the biggest television events of the year.
CNN asked Michael Tyler, the Biden-Harris campaign’s communications director, about the decision. Here’s what he had to say:
CNN's @MarquardtA presses Biden campaign comms director Michael Tyler about Biden declining to do the pre-Super Bowl interview:
— The Recount (@therecount) February 4, 2024
Tyler: “I'm usually still making my chili or putting my beer in the cooler, so I don't know how many eyeballs we're going to lose during pregame.” pic.twitter.com/Wek86ZsREH
